


Resilience

by Khim_Azaghal



Series: Pebbles Stories [3]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fighting siblings, Grief/Mourning, meltdwon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-09-20 22:17:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9518420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khim_Azaghal/pseuds/Khim_Azaghal
Summary: Written for the FiKi WinterFRE 2017.Prompt 29 "Fighting like cats and dogs."The more sensitive of you might need a couple of tissues.





	

“’Amaaaaaaaaaaaaad!”

 

The shrill cry came from upstairs, and Dis sighed as she lifted her head from her book. _Can’t I have five minutes in peace? Just five damn minutes!_

“What’s going on, Kili?” she yelled from downstairs.

 

She didn’t want to get up from her armchair. Not this time. Hard days of work for the harvest coupled to her usual home chores had tired her more than she wanted to admit.

 

It was the first autumn since her husband had died and she missed him more than ever. Fili and Kili also coped as they could, but some days were harder than others.

 

This was one of these days. Dis felt tired, and the boys had been bickering since morning; each cry, each kick threatening to shatter her tensed nerves for good. A little after lunch, she had brought them to their room for a nap. Finally alone, she had sunken into her armchair and relaxed. Until Kili had called her.

 

She waited, but no answer came from the boys’ room. Typical. She waited for another minute and went back to her reading.

 

“’Amaaaaaaaaaaaaad!”

 

Dis pinched the bridge of her nose.

 

“What is it, Kili?”

 

A tiny head showed up at the top of the stairs. Kili was dishevelled (more than usual), his face was all red, and so were his eyes.

The dwarfling went down the stairs timidly, one step at a time, his little hands gripping the bannister as he went. His head held down, he walked to the armchair.

 

“Fili scratched me face,” he mumbled.

 

Before Dis was able to ask for more details, a clamour boomed from the top of the stairs just before Fili dashed downstairs.

 

“Not true!” shouted Fili. “He did it himself!”

“Liar!” screamed Kili as tears of rage rolled on his red cheeks.

“I’m not a liar!”

“Yes, you are!”

“I’m not!”

 

The high-pitched screams went straight to the dwarrowdam’s nerves. She shut her eyes tight and ground her teeth. Her knuckles were white around her book.

 

“All right, calm down, lads. Just calm down. Just. ITKITI [silence!]!!!”

 

The two dwarflings froze.

 

Their mother was up, her book lying open on the floor. She breathed slowly through her nose to regain her composure.

 

Kili and Fili eyed her mother anxiously. They were not used to hear her shout.

 

“All right, what happened?”

 

Kili and Fili looked at each other. How did their argument begin? At this stage, they just couldn’t remember it clearly. Dis could almost see the little cogs of their brains getting in gear. Then Fili spoke.

 

“Kili broke his wooden sword, and he stole mine!”

“Not true!”

 

Things escalated quickly. Fili kicked his brother in the shin. Kili yelled and threw himself at Fili with all his might and pulled his hair, tearing out the beads of his braids. More screams and blows ensued, right under Dis’ nose but she did nothing to stop them.

 

She was spent. She didn’t even have the strength to separate her children, so she watched them fight for a few moments, her mind lost beyond the scene she was witnessing.

Her thoughts came to her late husband, and heavy tears began to run across her cheeks. If he were here, he would have known what to do. Mahal, she missed him so much.

 

*******

 

Dis didn’t notice her boys had stopped fighting and screaming.

 

She was still staring into the void and crying when she felt a soft tug on the bottom of her dress.

 

“’Amad?”

 

It was Fili.

 

Dis shook her head and looked down. Her sons were watching her, their eyes misty with anxiety and concern, so she quickly wiped her tears and took a deep breath.

 

“Why are you crying, ‘amad? You have a boo-boo?”

 

Dis chuckled. “No Kili, I don’t have a boo-boo.”

 

But the dwarfling was having none of that. If his mother was crying, she must hurt somewhere. So Kili insisted.

“I can kiss it better if you want?”

 

“A kiss would do me good, aye,” whispered the dwarrowdam before taking her youngest son in her arms. “Here.” She pointed her cheek, and Kili hurried to peck a wet and snotty kiss on it.

 

“Better now?” Kili asked with a bright smile.

“I feel tonnes better, yes. Thank you, my gem.”

 

Kili nodded and wriggled his way out of his mother’s embrace, and rushed up the stairs to his room and play.

 

Fili was still in front of his mother, concern clinging to his blue eyes. The same as his father’s.

Somehow, Fili knew what was going on in his mother’s head. He was old enough to understand some of the complicated stuff adults had to face in their lives.

 

“Why are you crying, ‘amad?” he asked softly.

 

Dis didn’t even try to hide her feelings behind a lie. She crouched in front of her first born and just said: “I miss your father very much. Sometimes, I feel very sad about it. So, I cry.”  

Fili frowned, adopting a look too stern for his young features. After some serious thinking, he asked: “Do grownups cry a lot?”

“Well, we cry when we’re badly hurt… or very sad. I think we cry less than dwarflings, though.”

 

“Filiiiiiiiii!” Kili called from upstairs. “Come upstairs and play with me!”

 

The dwarfling took a look at his mother’s face before replying: “In a minute!”

 

To his mother’s astonishment, Fili took his handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed her wet cheeks gently before pecking her forehead.

 

Dis’ heart swelled with love, and she engulfed Fili in her arms. She felt like as long as she had her two sons with her she could take on the entire world.

 

Fili’s muffled groan against her bosom took her back to Arda. She released him from her choking embrace and chuckled.

 

“Don’t let Kili wait,” she said with a smile before nudging Fili towards the stairs. The dwarfling made a few steps and turned back.

 

“Come play with us?” he asked timidly.

 

“Great idea! And maybe I can fix Kili’s sword so that he will give yours back.”

 

With a smile on her lips, Dis climbed the stairs with Fili, already building a story about two adventurous dwarflings in her head.

**Author's Note:**

> This story was supposed to be all fun, but it got rapidly out of hand. In spite of the sad moment, I hope you liked it.
> 
> I'd like to hear your thoughts :)


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